Laure-Anne Bosselaar, Santa Barbara poet laureate (2019-2021), and Danusha Laméris, Santa Cruz poet laureate (2018-2020), are widely published and renowned. They teach classes and workshops worldwide, so they were ready when Good Times asked them to reflect on the key ingredients to a life of poetry.
Increasingly it seems the job of a serious poet involves teaching and offering workshops to help grow the next crop of poets. Do you enjoy guiding the craft of making poems?
DANUSHA LAMÉRIS: I do enjoy mentoring poets. The process of teaching has changed my own poems, attuning me to what I most love on the page. My students have taught me so much, often by asking good questions. What I don’t know becomes a rabbit hole I go down in search of an answer. I teach through Pacific University’s Low-Residency MFA Program, and it’s like having an old-fashioned correspondence, poet to poet.
LAURE-ANNE BOSSELAAR: I agree with the great majority of poets who say that you cannot teach someone to be a poet—but you can certainly teach the many craft elements that go into making a poem a successful one. Also, I am lucky to mostly teach poets at the MFA level or adults who are motivated and interested in learning the crafts elements that go into writing poetry. And it’s the conversations I have with the poets I mentor or MFA students I teach that teach me so much about our art—every time!
Does teaching tend to be the “day job” for a practicing poet? And do day jobs add more frustration than support to your practice?
DL: The hardest part of being a working poet for me is scheduling and filling out forms! Teaching is one of the pleasures.
LB: Teaching has indeed been my day job, and this for decades. And teaching, talking, analyzing, revising, discussing, and discovering poetry is what makes me happy to get up every day. How lucky can one be to teach what one loves best? Are there some less successful days than others? Of course, there are—but name me a job that doesn’t have its ups & downs.
How often do you sit down and work on poems? Daily? At airports? Coffee shops?
DL: I do try to visit with poetry daily. That can mean reading poems, writing poems—at my desk and in cafés—and editing work I have in progress. My shelf of poetry books is a great treasure in my life. I love that the poet Naomi Shihab Nye says that even if she couldn’t write a poem––she could always be a fan! There are so many wonderful poets to savor and celebrate.
LB: I love early mornings at home best or in hotel rooms when I travel—when the mind is still fresh and sometimes surprisingly rich in metaphors—and even rich imagery—after a good night’s sleep. I also love to write while listening to music. Mostly without lyrics, of course, so piano music, cello, or even movie musical scores. I find that certain movie soundtracks create a kind of “narrative space” I love as background “noise.” My favorite composer right now (I change often!) is Rachel Portman, who composed the soundtrack of Chocolat and The Cider House Rules, but I also love the music of Nigel Westlake and James Horner.
Does the Poet Laureate honor bring increased visibility and opportunities? Does it lead to an unexpected workload?
DL: All I know is that’s how I started the Hive! (With the help of my co-founders). The laureate position is an opportunity to expand one’s love of poetry into the larger community. A vehicle. It’s like the SUV of poetry.
LB:Being Poet Laureate is an incredible honor and occasion to share with as many people as possible. As Poet Laureate of Santa Barbara, I wanted to invite young and old poetry lovers from all walks of life to send their poems, not only “professional” or widely published poets. So, I put together an anthology of poems by Santa Barbara city and county poetry writers, with lovely poems written by nine-year-old Chumash poets as well as by a 93-year-old grandma and a poet who had never sent out a poem before I asked him. The anthology is entitled While You Wait, published by Santa Barbara’s Gunpowder Press. I’m deeply convinced that if more contemporary poets of all ages and provenance, languages, and origins were taught in schools, the studying of poetry and the reading and writing of it would become much more popular.
What poets or writers inspired you to try your first poems?
DL: My first poetry loves included a wide range: my grandfather and his poet friends in Barbados. The poet Tony Hoagland taught a group of five young poets at my high school. Rilke, Yehuda Amichai, Jane Hirshfield, Dorianne Laux and Lucille Clifton. To name a few!
LB: I was raised in Belgium and only moved to the U.S. in my late 40s. So, it’s French and Dutch poets who very much influenced me, such as the Flemish poet Herman de Coninck. My husband, the late poet Kurt Brown and I translated it into a book entitled The Plural of Happiness—and in French, the poets Louis Aragon, Francis Carco, Boris Vian, and Guillaume Apollinaire influenced me greatly.
What currently practicing poets do you admire?
DL:So many! And I always pick up new work by Leila Chatti, Maggie Smith, Ada Limón, and John Murillo, to name a few. Plus, we are blessed with a rich community of local poets, many of whom have a national and even international presence—not to mention the marvelous Laure-Anne Bosselaar!
LB: Honestly, I can’t answer this question without mentioning at least 50 poets! All equally loved and admired. But I can, however, name the three teachers I worked with as I studied for my MFA in Poetry: Larry Levis, Brigit Pegeen Kelly, and Thomas Lux, as well as my husband, the poet Kurt Brown who patiently taught me how to write in English—alas, all are deceased.
If you weren’t writing and teaching poetry, what would you want to be when you grow up?
DL: I would be an antiques dealer/jewelry designer. My Caribbean side is made up of writers and teachers, and my Dutch side is engineers and dealers/designers of objects. I carry both loves.
LB: Without hesitation: part of a large choir—which would, of course, allow me to write and especially read poetry “on the side”!
The Hive Live! Featuring Danusha Laméris and Laure-Anne Bosselaar happens Tuesday, March 7, at 7pm. Bookshop Santa Cruz, 1520 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz. Free (registration required). bookshopsantacruz.com
You’ll see “community” and “connection” several times in this week’s cover story. Community and connection are the foundation for the Watsonville Film Festival. When Consuelo Alba—WFF co-founder and executive director—discusses the event, she radiates an infectious glow.
“We realized we didn’t have a place to tell our stories or share our films,” Alba says. “That was the beginning of the Watsonville Film Festival.”
Those looking for something akin to Sundance should look elsewhere; WFF isn’t about glitz, glamor and Louis Vuitton swag. The community will remain front and center; nobody will ever be turned away.
In its 11th year, Alba has stood by her word. Screenings and special events are open to all—donations are appreciated but not required. This year, most of the festival screenings will be available online, too.
The WFF’s ongoing commitment to curate a roster of films that showcase Latinx cultures, traditions, creativity and resilience is stronger than ever. The 2023 WFF is the biggest yet; it “celebrates actors and activists: inspiring stories about beating the odds.” The 40-plus films include shorts and features, many with local connections; there are films about migrants navigating the U.S. legal system, international musicians who are community activists, a poet/musician forced into exile during Nicaragua’s Sandinista Revolution. On opening night, March 3, WFF welcomes Pepe Serna, a Latino Hollywood icon whose career spans 50 years and hundreds of films. Additionally, WFF is co-hosting the opening of renowned local artist Juan Fuentes’ retrospective, “RESILIENCE: Works of Strength and Dignity.” watsonvillefilmfest.org
Adam Joseph | Interim Editor
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GOOD IDEA
After the weather extremes in the past few months, the importance of water infrastructure systems has never been so relevant. Yesterday, the San Lorenzo Valley Water District’s (SLVWD) Board of Directors moved forward with two projects that will repair water mains. The first will replace water mains, fittings, valves and fire hydrants along the Lyon and Big Steel Pipeline off Hwy 236. The other project will replace water mains and improve residential water service along Country Club Drive and Woodland Drive in Ben Lomond. slvwd.com
GOOD WORK
Congrats to the Santa Cruz High School Cardinal Regiment band, which has been chosen to perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City this month. The band is one of the six high school groups nationwide to participate in a festival. To ensure all 85 students can go, a fundraising campaign has been launched to cover expenses: $2,450 per student. Donations accepted at cardinalmusic.org
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“Foisting an identity on people rather than allowing them the freedom and space to create their own is shady.”
As a kid, Juan R. Fuentes liked to hang around with the braceros close to his Castroville home. These farmworkers would spend hours picking, plucking, snipping, cutting, digging and watering fields laden with DDT; some had threadbare bandanas to cover their noses and mouths. Fuentes was inexplicably drawn to these men. He recalls watching a man carve a bird from a wood block.
Eugenia Rentería’s 2023 short film Strawberry Picker—the world premiere happens Saturday, March 4, at the Mello Center with special guests Juan Fuentes, director Eugenia Rentería and producer Maria Cano—captures Fuentes reflecting on that moment with intimacy. It happened in the early ’60s, but it was the epiphany of a lifetime.
“It was magic to me,” Fuentes says through tears. “Because I love to carve.”
Fuentes began working in those same fields when he was in middle school. It was the only life he and his 10 siblings had known.
Watsonville High didn’t allow Chicanos to take fine arts classes, so Fuentes had to wait until college to delve into his passion.
“I had no idea what the hell I was going to do; I just knew this was my place,” Fuentes recalls. “I could do something here.”
The “here” Fuentes speaks of is the arts building at San Francisco State, where he found a new and wonderful reality. He was able to carve as much as he wanted.
Strawberry Picker starts with the beginning of Fuentes’ life. Still, it centers on the artist’s contribution to “Watsonville Brillante,” a 12,500-square-foot mosaic mural installed on the exterior of the Civic Plaza parking garage in downtown Watsonville. Spearheaded by local artist Kathleen Crocetti, the massive public artwork features several artists, but Fuentes’ “Mayan Warrior,” one of four vertical 1,200-square-foot pieces he designed, was the first. A Mayan god is depicted on the top. Below, a young man, hunched over, works in a field picking strawberries; though the face is strategically shadowed, Fuentes says it’s “almost a self-portrait.” A line of barbed wire runs across the horizon above the fieldworker’s head, denoting “the border” and “our people’s migration from Mexico” to the United States. “Mayan Warrior” mirrors the struggles and reliance of Fuentes’ life and the Chicano community—the line between art and life is blurred; it’s autobiographical, political and symbolic.
“People can see [the mural] and make their own connections,” Fuentes says. “It’s not only for my family, it’s for the people [in Watsonville] to reflect on.”
Strawberry Picker is a 20-minute portrait of Fuentes and his seminal mosaic mural, but it also embodies the spirit of the Watsonville Film Festival.
“It’s important to select inspiring films that connect with what’s happening in the community,” says Consuelo Alba, co-founder and director of the WFF.“We select films about ordinary people overcoming significant obstacles to do the extraordinary.”
Alba looks back on last year as one of the event’s most poignant iterations yet. In addition to celebrating its 10th anniversary, it also marked a time when the world was slowly coming out of the pandemic and returning to in-person events. The festival’s hallmark event featured a showing of Real Women Have Curves for its 20th anniversary. The film’s screenwriter Josefina López spoke about the importance of the movie as a landmark—the film was accepted into the National Film Registry shortly after the festival.
“There was electricity in the room,” Alba recalls. “So many people, women specifically, can relate to the story; the film was ahead of its time regarding body acceptance and positivity. [López] said Watsonville was the first festival to honor [the film].”
Comments like that are the payoff for Alba. WFF is painstakingly intentional about every selection it makes and ensuring everyone has access to the films, which is why this year, the entire festival is available on a pay-as-you-can basis.
“We want to make sure the entire community can see this amazing program,” Alba says. “WFF uplifts Latino voices, Latino stories and Latino artistry.”
Megan Martinez Goltz’s ‘Oaxaca en Santa Cruz’ features three parts: ‘Comida,’ ‘Medicina’ and ‘Música’ (pictured). Each 10-minute short shows how a specific element helps uplift all aspects of life.
Forever Serna
Pepe Serna doesn’t like to say “no.” Even if his name doesn’t ring a bell, there’s a good chance you’ve seen him in a few of the 400-plus film and television appearances he’s made over the last 50 years. In Scarface, Serna played Tony Montana’s Cuban drug dealer buddy, who meets his gory demise on the wrong side of a chainsaw. In Car Wash, Serna appeared alongside George Carlin and Richard Pryor and in the comedy classic The Jerk, he played “Punk #1” in an early scene with Steve Martin. The prolific character actor played Edward James Olmos’ brother on the run in The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez—Serna also joined OImos in the cult classic American Me.
There have been some awards, too. Serna scored a special Screen Actors Guild Heritage Achievement Award for all the character roles he played “when Latino actors didn’t make it into Hollywood films.” He also received the prestigious Estrella Award for Arts & Culture from the Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
At 78, Serna says he’s experiencing a “rebirth.” He recently wrote and performed a one-person show and planned to take it on the road. Serna also has a couple of movies in the can and begins shooting another film this month.
“The [filmmaker] asked, ‘Do you work on Saturday and Sunday?’” Serna says. “I said, ‘Every day [I’m working] is Saturday, Sunday or Christmas!’”
While he’s in town, Serna will also teach some improv classes to Pajaro Valley Unified School District students.
Over the last 50 years, Pepe Serna has appeared in over 400 movies and television shows. Though he’s still active in Hollywood, he wants to focus more on teaching improvisational acting.
How do you teach improvisation?
PEPE SERNA: We’ve all been doing [improvisational acting] since we were born. We don’t know what our next step will be or what the next word out of our mouth will be, depending on who we are talking to. We don’t know what question the teacher will ask or what a friend will ask or tell us, so we’re already improvising every day.
In Oaxaca, [Mexico], they shake hands by sticking their hand out and not touching the other person’s hand; they just keep it an inch apart. They feel the energy between them. So, we start with that [in my class], then I go into “the mirror exercise.” [Students] stand 12 to 20 inches apart and stare at each other. It’s hard not to laugh if they’re kids or uncomfortable. They just look at each other for as long as they can, then one [person] starts a movement—if I move my right hand to my chest upward, my partner will move their left hand; we’re mirroring movements, slowly, not fast, we have to be in sync. There are a lot of different games.
What was the most challenging role of your career?
The toughest was creating my one-person show, [El Ruco Chuco Cholo Pachuco], and all the characters I created. Even though I wrote them, I have to remember everything I wrote: El Ruco Chuco Cholo Pachuco, a zoot suiter who got railroaded into prison in 1942. Then, all his imaginary offspring go to prison, every different generation. So, I had to write and then perform all those different characters and different times.
What inspires you?
I was born to do this. I love performing and enticing people into conversations. If I’m at the mall, I’ll jump into a family’s conversation, especially if they have kids, and say something that triggers me as I pass by—something usually that has humor, something that’s going to lighten their load. I love to do that. And it usually works. In improv, it’s called the “Yes/And Adjustment,” which means keeping an open mind to new ideas. Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”
How does Hollywood treat Latinos in your personal experience?
We don’t really get treated at all. I disprove that statement because I’ve done so much, but I didn’t get to do many of the stories I could have done when I was younger because they didn’t tell our stories. And if they did, they had a Caucasian guy writing the story, not somebody that knows or lived our story, breathed it, eaten it, slept with it, woken up with it.
You’ve been married for over 50 years. What’s your secret?
George Harrison’s wife, Olivia, was asked how she stayed married, and she said, “It’s easy; you just don’t get divorced.”
For us, we’ve been very compatible. [Diane] created me as a visual artist. I didn’t know I could do that until she encouraged it. She saw my doodling and art that I started while shooting a film in Santa Fe. I got some watercolors and acrylic paints and started painting. And she loved it. How do you encourage? By encouraging people with the “Yes/And,” you can create miracles. We’re not in a contest. Even with our spouses. It’s not 50/50; it’s 100/100. You have to be willing to give it all, all the time. We’re all different. We’re together all the time. It’s going to be 54 years on March 18. They took me to her door the second day I got to Hollywood. My friend from Acapulco was there with me, and he was a friend of hers. Six months later, she came to one of my [improv] workshops and invited me home. I never left.
It’s all about being kind to each other and waking up the next morning, not worrying about anything negative that happened the day before.
You’re in Flamin’ Hot, a movie due out this year about the origin and popularity of Hot Cheetos directed by Eva Longoria.
It’s a feature-length film, and I play the grandfather. I couldn’t do as much as Eva wanted me to—she’s from my hometown in Corpus Christi, Texas. I’ve known her since she started, and now, she’s running her own company. It’s incredible what she’s done.
It’s a small part, but I’ve never looked at parts as being small. There are no extras in this life. Everybody is just as important as everybody else. Not that I hate the star system, but maybe I do. I don’t like what it pretends to be. Everybody’s just as important as everybody else. That’s my mantra to the kids: You’re not in competition with anybody else. Your race is only with yourself.
What’s one of the most difficult decisions you’ve ever made?
I’ve been pretty lucky, but I had to turn down a part in Desperado that would have had me working with Robert Rodriguez. I had just finished two [television] series with Jennifer Lopez, “Second Chances” and “Hotel Malibu.” I played her father.
What’s one thing you haven’t done that you hope to do in your lifetime?
Have universities and schools come after me for my [improv acting] workshop. I have my memoirs and the documentary—I want to show all the people I’ve worked with how I’ve done it, and how I’m still doing it and still have that same passion I did as a three-year-old when I got my first applause.
With the Academy Awards coming up, what’s your favorite film of 2022?
I am in the Academy. I just love films. I really liked The Whale—it’s amazing what [Brendan Fraser] did. It’s exciting to see Latinos getting nominated, like [Ana de Armas] from Blonde. But we have a long way to go. [Latinos] are at the Academy Awards, but we’re still serving the food and parking the cars. I want to see more [Latinos].
Opening Night: Honoring Pepe Serna (screening his documentary Pepe Serna: Life is Art and new short film Abuelo; director Luis Reyes will join Serna) Friday, March 3, at 7pm. Free (donations appreciated). Mello Center, 250 E. Beach St., Watsonville. watsonvillefilmfest.org
Carlos Perez Osorio’s excellent documentary, ‘Los Tigres del Norte: Historias que contar,’ showcases a band credited with writing 600 songs, selling more than 60 million records and being dubbed the “greatest grupo norteño of all time.”
World Premieres
Oaxaca en Santa Cruz: Comida, Medicina and Música – Directed by Megan Martinez Goltz (2023) While finding ways to recover during the COVID-19 post-pandemic era, indigenous elders share how accessing traditions from their homelands in Oaxaca is vital for healing themselves and their communities in Santa Cruz, California. This three-part series explores elements of food, medicine and music and how each carries specific traditions helping to uplift all aspects of life. (10 minutes for each part; Spanish with English subtitles; all ages)
Influenced – Directed by Alondra Zamudio (2023)When Sam, a 17-year-old influencer, quits her online persona, she must grapple with the harsh realities of life. As she navigates the difficulties of her mother becoming ill again, Sam is also in turmoil with her best friends, Emily and Marisa. (13 minutes; English; all ages)
Living In Exile: Carlos Mejía Godoy – Directed by Jon Silver(2023) Forced into exile and living in California, Carlos Mejía Godoy is a legendary musician and poet of Nicaragua’s Sandinista Revolution of the 1970s and 1980s. Mejía Godoyshares his music, poetry and paintings as he reflects on Nicaragua’s historic fight for liberty and the betrayal of the original Sandinista Revolution. (14 minutes; Spanish with English subtitles; all ages)
Los Tigres del Norte: Historias que contar – Directed by Carlos Perez Osorio
The legendary Norteño band came to San Jose with nothing in the 1960s and rose to sell more than 60 million records, winning six Grammys and 12 Latin Grammys along the way. Co-presented by the Mexican Consulate of San José. (105 minutes; Spanish with English subtitles; ages 13+)
Megan Martinez Goltz’s ‘Oaxaca en Santa Cruz: Comida.’
Local Connections
Sansón y yo–Directed by Rodrigo Reyes (2022) Award-winning documentary film presenting a vibrant portrait of a friendship navigating immigration and the depths of the criminal justice system while pushing the boundaries of cinematic imagination to rescue a young migrant’s story from oblivion. The family members of the protagonist live in Watsonville.(83 minutes; Spanish and English with English subtitles).
Santos: Skin To Skin – Directed by Kathryn Golden(2022) A film portrait of community activist and seven-time Grammy nominee John Santos, a “keeper of the Afro-Caribbean flame.” Rich in musical performances, Santos links the rhythms of his ancestors to contemporary struggles of identity and social justice. Co-presented by Kuumbwa Jazz, Santos premiered at SXSW and won the Mill Valley Film Festival Audience Award.(75 minutes; English; all ages)
Eternidad – Written and directed by Gabriel J. Medina (2023) In this local short film fusing horror and magical realism, a disoriented woman stumbles into an eerie bar and accepts an odd challenge from a blind man. She then finds herself trapped in a performance that may never end. Produced by Watsonville filmmakers Alejandro Santana Jr. and Shadé Quintanilla at El Teatro Campesino in San Juan Bautista. (8 minutes; English)
The Watsonville Film Festival in-person/online screenings and special events begin March 3 and run through March 12. Free (donations appreciated). watsonvillefilmfest.org
Adam Spickler, who uses the pronouns he/they, has worked in local government for over a decade.
As some do over the years, Spickler grappled with their evolving identity. But unlike most, this personal inquiry was fast-tracked and made public.
In 2009, Spickler worked in a county building. During this time, they were reevaluating how they relate to gender. Because they were more masculine presenting, various issues arose when they would use the women’s bathrooms.
“It’s ironic that it stemmed from bathroom use because so much of the political issues currently facing the trans community nationwide is around bathrooms,” Spickler says. “But it kind of dawned on me, realizing that I’ve been putting off making a decision for myself, and it wasn’t serving me in a lot of ways, and I was watching it play out in this professional setting.”
Spickler came out to their proactive boss and together they crafted a letter sent out throughout the department to explain Spickler’s name change, including the new pronouns.
In 2009, the discussion around pronoun choice and being non-binary was relatively new. Spickler says they were lucky to have an accepting workplace and that they have friends who underwent a similar transition with more devastating outcomes.
But in 2023, this conversation has hit the mainstream: it’s common to include pronoun choice in email signatures and social media bios, and high-profile celebrities use they/them pronouns.
In recent years, there has been a push to bring inclusive language to the workplace and update policies to reflect modern realities. In 2020, the Supreme Court made the landmark decision that employment discrimination includes discrimination based on sexual orientation or transgender status. In some instances, misgendering or using improper pronouns in workplaces can be considered harassment.
Following this trend, cities and counties are trying to modernize the language in the documents that rule our local political offices. Referred to by different names, some as city charters, some as code of ordinances, these documents are what one official called a local government’s “constitution.” Arguably the most critical city document, the charter outlines the roles and responsibilities of elected officials and city employees and serves as a foundational piece of the legal structure of the city.
But even as local cities try to update their codes and policies to be more inclusive, the constitutions are still littered with outdated gender stereotypes, a living relic of our exclusive past.
Watsonville’s charter uses only masculine pronouns when referencing city officials; Santa Cruz’s uses a combination of gendered pronouns and sometimes inclusive pronouns; Scotts Valley’s uses gendered pronouns and sometimes only masculine pronouns.
For Spickler, who now works as a senior administrative analyst at the county and serves on the Cabrillo Board of Trustees, being misgendered doesn’t send them spiraling. But they know that’s not the case for everyone, and they stress the importance of inclusive language in official government documents.
“I think it’s really important for the government to lead the way to show that these are things that matter and to normalize our having conversations about it,” says Spickler. “I know it’s not an easy thing at times for the government to accomplish, but just because it’s difficult, doesn’t mean it’s not right.”
Local Efforts
For the past few years, the state has been pressuring local municipalities to make the governing language more inclusive.
In 2017, the state passed the Gender Recognition Act, which updated state codes to
recognize a third gender option on California state-issued documents. The following year, the legislature passed a bill that ensured gender-neutral pronouns and gender-inclusive language when drafting state legislation and called on local governments to use gender-neutral pronouns when drafting policies, regulations and other guidance. But according to Santa Cruz city attorney Tony Condotti, there’s no legal imperative to do so, and it’s ultimately up to a city’s prerogative whether to update to incorporate inclusive language in governing documents.
So far, the county, along with Scotts Valley and Santa Cruz, is implementing a slowly-but-surely approach to updating their city documents, removing gender-specific pronouns in their respective municipal codes as they pass ordinances.
For Scotts Valley, this happens once or twice a year as a new code is added or updated. For Santa Cruz, this happens more frequently every time the council adopts a new ordinance.
But updating a charter falls outside solely elected officials’ authority. The only way to comprehensively update a local government’s constitution to use inclusive language is to bring that issue to the voters.
The last time Santa Cruz amended its charter was last June when the city transitioned to district elections. The new language drafted for this amendment provided a rare opportunity for the city to use gender-neutral language. Still, Condotti says that while the city tries to be thoughtful about pronoun choices, inclusive pronouns weren’t implemented consistently during this amendment.
“We don’t always get it right,” Condotti says. “We overlooked a couple of instances of gender-specific pronouns and didn’t make that change. But it’s been a fairly recent practice to incorporate gender-neutral language into our codes, so our track record isn’t perfect.”
Watsonville is the only local city considering removing gendered pronouns altogether from its constitution and expecting to bring the issue to its voters in the next year. The process would involve creating a committee to advise the council on how to proceed, collecting public input and all the usual effort and time involved in putting issues on the ballot.
“Charters set the foundation of your local government,” says Watsonville city manager Rene Martinez. “Something as straightforward as the use of pronouns, if it makes it more inclusive in our constitution, then that’s the message we’re sending. Utilizing resources is not really the question or issue the way I look at it.”
For Watsonville, though, the issue of updating its charter extends beyond efforts to use more inclusive language. A lot needs to be updated, given the city hasn’t updated its charter since the mid-2000s, says Watsonville Mayor Eduardo Martinez. The trick, he says, will be balancing what to bring to the voters so as not to overwhelm them. For every update and amendment to the charter, the law requires that it be presented as its own measure to voters.
But being inclusive is top on the list for Martinez. He says he wants to take it further than just the pronoun issue and has been wondering if it’s possible to translate the charter to Spanish. Condotti says he doesn’t think the translation would require voter input since that is more of an administrative function and agrees that would signal a more inclusive, thoughtful city.
In terms of whether any legal action could be taken based on pronoun technicalities, Watsonville city attorney Samatha Zutler says she has never seen anything of the sort and doesn’t expect to. Zutler has provided legal advice to cities for most of her career and says the likelihood that legal issues could evolve from the charter because specific rules are restricted to only masculine pronouns is slim.
“I had never seen case law based on that set of circumstances,” Zutler says. In Watsonville’s charter, a provision says all rules that use masculine gender also apply to women.
Oakland’s Example
Cities across California are joining the growing efforts to modernize their constitutions. Just last year, Oakland was one of the latest cities that brought a measure to voters that focused on updating the gendered language in its charter. In November, the measure passed.
Prior to the measure, Oakland had a policy to update the charter through new ordinances, similar to the process that Santa Cruz and Scotts Valley use. But city council members wanted to take their commitment to diversity one step further by updating the charter.
According to Oakland’s city attorney’s office, the updates have already been completed, with the only staff time involved in the process being two attorneys from the city department. But Spickler says they’re sympathetic to the time and diligence that goes into the updating process and that they favor focusing on government documents outside the charters and getting the language right as amendments are made.
Our elected officials are there for a reason; residents trust them, so let them do their job and continue making the charter gender inclusive as new ordinances are added. Bringing it to the voters might just backfire or delay the process.
“Taking every single piece of work that we do at the governmental level and putting it on display for voters and having a vote on every piece of work, I think, is where you start to get into really bad gray areas,” Spickler says. “You vote for your lawmakers. You don’t vote for the work that they do, which is why I wouldn’t advise taking the charters to voters directly. What if the voters decide that, you know, separate but equal makes sense to them? It’s too risky, in my opinion.”
People around Santa Cruz County geared up for power outages, road closures and a couple of rare snow days as a winter storm blew through the area on Thursday and Friday. Residents grabbed old surfboards, boogie boards and skim boards to ride down hillsides covered in snow that piled a foot deep in some parts of the mountains.
The cold temperatures reached lower elevations too. Areas just a few hundred feet above sea level received a light dusting of snow, including Twin Lakes State Beach, which turned white from graupel, also known as soft hail.
Sections of Hwy 17, Hwy 9 and several local roads closed for hours on Friday due to ice, snow, downed trees, slides and fallen power lines.
“Our safety concern was concerning travel and, obviously, the cold, so we’re trying to tell people if they need to warm up, head to the library or other public facilities,” says Jason Hoppin, the County of Santa Cruz communications manager.
In the past few years, snow has dusted the higher points of the Santa Cruz Mountains, but the intensity of this storm was rare. The National Weather Service issued a Winter Storm Warning in the area for the first time since 2011.
The unusual cold came from an airmass that flowed down from Canada. According to Jeff Lorber, a National Weather Service meteorologist, it brought moisture and gusty winds of up to 40 miles per hour.
“We have this ridge of high pressure [air] that’s several hundred miles off the coast, and since that’s way out to sea, it’s allowing these cold systems to ride over that ridge and then drop down the coast and bring this really cold source of air from British Columbia down the West Coast,” Lorber says.
Snow reached surprisingly low elevations, but this isn’t the first time in living memory. In 1976, a storm blanketed the City of Santa Cruz.
“There was actually snow on the beaches, on the boardwalk and the boats,” recalls UCSC distinguished professor of earth and planetary sciences Gary Griggs, who was teaching at the time.
For those using the unseasonable cold to deny climate change, Griggs points to the difference between long-term climate patterns and short-term weather events.
“A cold spell and snow on the beaches in California are not unheard of, but this says nothing about long-term climate change,” he says. “What is important to look at is the long-term change in average global temperature.”
Over several decades in Santa Cruz, Griggs has watched unusual weather and geological events unfold while studying the climate and history of the area. In a new Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History series, he will talk about the natural disasters that plague the county and what residents should plan for in the future.
Santa Cruz is the second-smallest county in California, but “we have more geologic hazards per square mile than any other county,” Griggs says. “From coastal storms and erosion to river flooding to rock falls/landslides/debris flows and then faulting and earthquakes—these events are actually very common, and the area has a long history of these disasters.”
Griggs’ lecture, titled Perils in Paradise and hosted at the London Nelson Center on Thursday, March 2, from 6-8pm, will include quick talks from other experts, including City of Santa Cruz climate action program manager Tiffany Wise-West and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries Office climate scientist Nate Mantua.
An open house at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History and an extreme weather resource fair will follow on March 4 from 11am to 3pm. In the third and final event of the series, UCSC geology Ph.D. candidates will lead a tour of the rock formations, fault lines and history of erosion on West Cliff Drive on March 11.
“Our community has a long history of coming together in response to natural disasters. Understanding that historical context alongside science-based projections for the future can be empowering and even inspiring,” says museum executive director Felicia B. Van Stolk.
The organizers planned the event in response to the January storms and flooding many are still recovering from. The recent snow highlights these conversations’ importance as the county grapples with extreme weather events.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): In 1993, I began work on my memoirish novel The Televisionary Oracle. It took me seven years to finish. The early part of the process was tough. I generated a lot of material I didn’t like. Then one day, I discovered an approach that liberated me: I wrote about aspects of my character and behavior that needed improvement. Suddenly everything clicked, and my fruitless adventure transformed into a fluidic joy. Soon I was writing about other themes and experiences. But dealing with self-correction was a key catalyst. Are there any such qualities in yourself you might benefit from tackling, Aries? If so, I recommend you try my approach.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Two Taurus readers complained that my horoscopes contain too much poetry and flair to be useful. In response, I’m offering you a prosaic message. It’s all true, though in a way that’s more like a typical horoscope. (I wonder if this approach will spur your emotional intelligence and your soul’s lust for life, which are crucial areas of growth for you these days.) Anyway, here’s the oracle: Take a risk and extend feelers to interesting people outside your usual sphere. But don’t let your social adventures distract you from your ambitions, which also need your wise attention. Your complex task: Mix work and play; synergize business and pleasure.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Astrologer Jessica Shepherd advises us to sidle up to the Infinite Source of Life and say, “Show me what you’ve got.” When we do, we often get lucky. That’s because the Infinite Source of Life delights in bringing us captivating paradoxes. Yes and no may both be true in enchanting ways. Independence and interdependence can interweave to provide us with brisk teachings. If we dare to experiment with organized wildness and aggressive receptivity, our awareness will expand, and our heart will open. What about it, Gemini? Are you interested in the charming power that comes from engaging with cosmic contradictions? Now’s a favorable time to do so. Go ahead and say, “Show me what you’ve got” to the Infinite Source of Life.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): “Only a lunatic would dance when sober,” declared the ancient Roman philosopher Cicero. As a musician who loves to dance, I reject that limiting idea—especially for you. In the upcoming weeks, I hope you will do a lot of dancing-while-sober. Singing-while-sober, too. Maybe some crying-for-joy-while-sober, as well as freewheeling-your-way-through-unpredictable-conversations-while-sober and cavorting-and-reveling-while-sober. My point is that there is no need for you to be intoxicated as you engage in revelry. Even further: It will be better for your soul’s long-term health if you are lucid and clearheaded as you celebrate this liberating phase of extra joy and pleasure.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Poet Mary Oliver wondered whether the soul is solid and unbreakable, like an iron bar. Or is it tender and fragile, like a moth in an owl’s beak? She fantasized that maybe it’s shaped like an iceberg or a hummingbird’s eye. I am poetically inclined to imagine the soul as a silver diadem bedecked with emeralds, roses and live butterflies. What about you, Leo? How do you experience your soul? The coming weeks will be a ripe time to home in on this treasured part of you. Feel it, consult with it, feed it. Ask it to surprise you!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): According to the color consultant company Pantone, Viva Magenta is 2023’s color of the year. According to me, Viva Magenta is the lucky hue and power pigment for you Virgos during the next ten months. Designer Amber Guyton says that Viva Magenta “is a rich shade of red that is both daring and warm.” She adds that its “purple undertone gives it a warmth that sets it apart from mere red and makes it more versatile.” For your purposes, Virgo, Viva Magenta is earthy and exciting; nurturing and inspiring; soothing yet arousing. The coming weeks will be a good time to get the hang of incorporating its spirit into your life.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): If you are not working to forge a gritty solution, you may be reinforcing a cozy predicament. If you’re not expanding your imagination to conjure up fresh perspectives, you could be contributing to some ignorance or repression. If you’re not pushing to expose dodgy secrets and secret agendas, you might be supporting the whitewash. Know what I’m saying, Libra? Here’s a further twist. If you’re not peeved about the times you have wielded your anger unproductively, you may not use it brilliantly in the near future. And I really hope you will use it brilliantly.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Storyteller Martin Shaw believes that logic and factual information are not enough to sustain us. To nourish our depths, we need the mysterious stories provided by myths and fairy tales. He also says that conventional hero sagas starring big, strong, violent men are outmoded. Going forward, we require wily, lyrical tales imbued with the spirit of the Greek word metis, meaning “divine cunning in service to wisdom.” That’s what I wish for you now, Scorpio. I hope you will tap into it abundantly. As you do, your creative struggles will lead to personal liberations. For inspiration, read myths and fairy tales.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Many astrologers don’t give enough encouragement to you Sagittarians on the subject of home. I will compensate for that. I believe it’s a perfect time to prioritize your feelings of belonging and your sense of security. I urge you to focus energy on creating serenity and stability for yourself. Honor the buildings and lands you rely on. Give extra appreciation to the people you regard as your family and tribe. Offer blessings to the community that supports you.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): If you are like 95 percent of the population, you weren’t given all the love and care you needed as a child. You may have made adaptations to partly compensate for this lack, but you are still running a deficit. That’s the bad news, Capricorn. The good news is that the coming weeks will be a favorable time to overcome at least some of the hurt and sadness caused by your original deprivation. Life will offer you experiences that make you feel more at home in the world and at peace with your destiny and in love with your body. Please help life help you! Make yourself receptive to kindness and charity and generosity.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The philosopher Aldous Huxley was ambitious and driven. Author of almost 50 books, he was a passionate pacifist and explorer of consciousness. He was a visionary who expressed both dystopian and utopian perspectives. Later in his life, though, his views softened. “Do not burn yourselves out,” he advised readers. “Be as I am: a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.” Now I’m offering you Huxley’s counsel, Aquarius. As much as I love your zealous idealism and majestic quests, I hope that in the coming weeks you will recharge yourself with creature comforts.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Piscean author and activist W. E. B. Du Bois advised us to always be willing to give up what we are. Why? Because that’s how we transform into a deeper and stronger version of ourselves. I think you would benefit from using his strategy. My reading of the astrological omens tells me that you are primed to add through subtraction, to gain power by shedding what has become outworn and irrelevant. Suggested step one: Identify dispiriting self-images you can jettison. Step two: Visualize a familiar burden you could live without. Step three: Drop an activity that bores you. Step four: Stop doing something that wastes your time.
Oldtown Salinas’ latest foodie addition will feature some of the best deep-dish pizza in the tri-county area, which is good to hear.
To learn it will also include a concert venue, banquet hall and—be still, mini-umbrella lovers—a tiki bar gets toward crazy good.
So it goes with Heirloom Pizza 2.0, coming to historic Main Street in late spring or early summer.
Co-owner Michael Foley, who once worked at Felton Pantry and played in a Santa Cruz-based band, knows the plans for their 12,000 square feet sound ambitious but emerge from simple passions.
“It has all our favorite things: tiki bar, live music, pizza,” he says. “It’s going to be a jewel of Salinas’ downtown revitalization.”
Co-owner Kristen Wood adds that the drinks and foodstuffs will thrive on fresh produce and homemade dressings that make Heirloom Monterey a community go-to.
“We’re fully excited to bring all the fresh ingredients we currently use,” she says, “while expanding on what we already do.”
But the craziest thing about Heirloom is that it’s only the latest savory element coming amid the ongoing resurrection of Oldtown.
Over a half dozen spots have settled into spaces within recent months, which inspired Good Times to take a field trip to the Salad Bowl of the World. Here appear a few to prioritize in alphabetical order:
Alvarado on Main: The latest installment from the award-winning Alvarado Street Brewery team occupies a former bank with soaring ceilings. It opened in November and hosts a packed house every time I stop by. The cinematic ambiance draws visitors, the casual-contemporary fare (think lobster rolls and Valley flatbreads), craft cocktails, a raw bar and—yes—outstanding beer.
Altura Lounge & Bistro/Cali Glizzy Hot Dogs: Altura debuted full-service in an indoor-outdoor venue just off Main Street last week. The menu stars rustic Italian finds like Nonna’s lasagna, Little Sicily calzones, linguini and clams and oven-baked fennel-sausage sandwiches. Sister spot Cali Glizzy came a week or so before on the opposite side of Main with loaded hot dogs like the “So Salinas,” with nacho cheese, grilled onions, jalapeños and crushed Hot Cheetos on a Hawaiian roll.
Brew-N-Krew Ale House: Salinas natives Marlene Garcia and Steven Corona launched their atypical Latinx-leaning beer spot—resplendent with pink feathered walls and a working brewery—last spring. House beers take on names like La Chika Freza, Lokura and Ponte Las Piñas, and the resulting vibe gets social fast.
Last Call Bar and Grill: This joint came online in summer with caloric abandon, throwing down six types of chicken strips, seven takes on wings, and loaded baked potatoes, Philly cheese steaks, flap steaks and smoked rib tips to boot. Full bar and a youthful vibe too.
Mangia Eat and Drink on Main: The thoroughly family-run and homespun spot arrived amid Covid and immediately earned honors as one of the year’s best new restaurants. The formula—beyond dad in the kitchen, mom at the counter and kids everywhere else: from-scratch Italian items with attention to detail. The truffle-infused gnocchi in gorgonzola cream is a keeper.
In other words, throwing a head of lettuce around Oldtown is hard without hitting a new spot, a forthcoming debut or a storefront with potential. Among them is a massive mixed-use project at 300 Main, which could host four restaurants and/or retail spots on its bottom floor.
One irony that brings up: Salinas is a place that’s both famous internationally and under-appreciated locally—which now merits an update.
Pinot Gris, also called Pinot Grigio in Italy, is a solo star. Grapes are from Lago Lomita Vineyards in the Los Gatos hills—a much-respected source of luscious and well-tended fruit. It’s a versatile white wine that’s easy to like, and Wrights Station 2020 Pinot Grigio ($34) is lovely.
Wrights Station’s Pino Gris is worth every penny. Pinot Gris is loaded with citrus fruits, apples, pears, peaches and spice aromas. Fresh and crisp, it pairs well with chicken, turkey, various cheeses and rich Indian fare. The market is flooded with cheaply made Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio, which should be avoided. It’s well worth spending a bit more and getting a good one.
Each month this year, Wrights Station will spotlight a wine and give a discount of 20%. Check their website to see the featured wine.
Wrights Station Vineyard & Winery, 24250 Loma Prieta Ave., Los Gatos, 408-460-9343. wrightsstation.com
Spring Forward Against Cancer
The Santa Cruz Cancer Benefit Group will hold its 25th and final event. All funds raised will be donated to local beneficiaries such as Hospice of Santa Cruz County, the Katz Cancer Resource Center and more. There will be live and silent auctions, a wine and beer reception and dinner. Renowned singer-songwriter and cancer survivor James Lee Stanley will perform. Dress in your best black tie and cocktail attire and support all those with cancer.
Spring Forward Against Cancer Gala happens Saturday, March 25, 4:30-11pm. $225. Chaminade Resort, One Chaminade Lane, Santa Cruz. sccbg.org/sfac
Sal Zavala’s career began at 15. Initially a dishwasher, he climbed the kitchen ladder and became a cook. Now, Zavala owns various restaurants in the Santa Cruz area. He bought Empire Grille about a year ago; Zavala liked the small-town feel, and it was already a local favorite. He says it’s “where everyone hangs out.” Old-school Felton photographs punctuate the ambiance, and the menu is traditional American with some formal dishes and more evolution to come.
Lunch favorites include burgers, Reubens and the popular crab, shrimp, avocado, and salads like the Asian Chicken with a sweet sesame dressing. For dinner, must-orders include the salmon with lemon, butter, garlic, white wine and bay shrimp, the Mahi-mahi in a sweet chili sauce and the grilled New York strip. Dessert is highlighted by bread pudding with blueberry and white chocolate options. Empire is open every day, 11am-9pm (8pm Sunday). Zavala recently detailed his vision for Empire’s menu and the key to his rise to successful restauranteur.
Do you have plans for Empire’s cuisine moving forward?
SAL ZAVALA: We are keeping all the favorites, but I also want to try and bring in more California cuisine. I want to elevate our food, keeping the house specialties and locally caught seafood like sand dabs, rock cod, Dungeness crab, and whatever is seasonal. I want to offer more healthy options and vegan and vegetarian choices as well.
How did you go from dishwasher to restaurant owner?
I’ve been working in the restaurant business since 1989. Sometimes I would work 150 hours every two weeks, and I still have my pay stubs. I’ve been working my butt off for many years, shifts from 7am until 2am and again the next day. It took a lot of hard work and sacrifice, and most of my purpose was to provide for my children.
A 26-year-old Scotts Valley man suffered major injuries when his northbound Honda slammed into a guardrail on Highway 17.
Around 7:15pm on Monday evening Ernie Dollente Mina was driving south of Mount Hermon Road when his vehicle spun off the road, overturned and crashed into a tree, according to the California Highway Patrol.
He was traveling at an unknown rate of speed at the time, said Officer Israel Murillo, who added drugs and alcohol are not considered a factor in the incident.
The driver was transported to Valley Medical Center for treatment.
